HL Deb 01 July 1873 vol 216 cc1607-8

Order of the Day for the Second Reading, read.

EARL FORTESCUE,

in moving that the Bill be now read the second time, said, the provisions of the measure, which had come up from the other House, had been approved of by a Select Committee of that House. There were 32,937 acres of market gardens in the kingdom, the increase of tithes upon which would amount to £333. The necessity for the measure had been occasioned by the attempt in seven cases to impose an additional tithe rent-charge on land newly cultivated as market-gardens—an attempt which had been viewed with much odium and apprehension, while it had been attended with very slight advantage to the tithe-owners compared with the costs of the litigation it had involved. The Bill directed that the powers of the Tithe Commissioners in this respect only to a parish in which an extraordinary charge for market-gardens was distinguished at the time of the commutation.

Moved, "That the Bill be now read 2a."—(The Earl Fortescue.)

THE DUKE OF RICHMOND

said, that as the Bill had been referred to a Select Committee of the other House, and that there had been a difference of opinion respecting the Bill by the Committee, it would be as well, after the second reading, to postpone its Committee stage till after their Lordships had an opportunity of looking over and considering the Report of the Committee of the other House.

THE LORD CHANCELLOR

said, he could not understand why the Bill should make a distinction between hop-gardens and market-gardens. The Bill applied to market-gardens but not to hop-gardens. He failed to see why that should be so.

THE ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY

said, there was a marked distinction between land cultivated for hops and land cultivated as market-gardens. There was no difficulty with regard to land cultivated for hops; but it was sometimes difficult to distinguish, and more especially so as regarded farms in the vicinity of the metropolis, and large towns where vegetables, &c., were grown, between high farming and market-gardening, so that a question might arise as to whether a field was a market-garden or not.

EARL FORTESCUE

said, he could confirm the statement of the most rev. Primate, and intimated that he had no objection to delaying the Committee as suggested by the noble Duke (the Duke of Richmond).

Motion agreed to.

Bill read 2a accordingly, and committed to a Committee of the Whole House on Thursday next.